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Blood and Revenge
Episode 9, Season 4 of War. Enjoy the first part of your season finale. <3 Blood and Revenge A lot of bad things have happened to us. We've been clawed, cut, betrayed, tortured, stalked, threatened. And yet somehow, somehow we stayed together, we didn't give up. But there's always a point. The point where you've just lost so much that you physically can't go on. I thought that we hit that point when we lost three cats at once: Silverflower to StarClan, Badgerstrike to FireClan, Adderscar to the pain of mending his broken heart. I thought we hit it when Thundercloud almost killed Shadowsong. I should have known better. If there's one thing I've learned by now, it's that things can always, always get worse. It started with EarthClan and Adderscar. Gorsefur catches me trying to sneak out. I'm trying to decide whether sneaky and slow is better or to just pelt away. Speed has always been my thing, so I go for that. Unfortunately, I step on a stick and break it. Gorsefur's senses kick in and he jerks awake, gold eyes searching until he finds me. He looks at me ruefully. "So that's how it's going to be." "No!" I say, horrified he'd think that about me. "It's just...I needed to think." I finish lamely. Gorsefur sits up, yawning. It gives me time to consider how gorgeous he is in the sunlight- lean muscles and sleek pelt, eyes that echo the sun that's barely begun to risen behind him. "About?" "Us. This. Last night." I scuff at the ground. "I just...felt guilty." Gorsefur's whiskers twitch. "Why?" "Stop laughing at me! I just...with EarthClan and Thundercloud and we're soldiers-" I realize I'm rambling and I take a deep breath. "I was trying to be strong. I knew I still felt...things for you, but I've lost so much, I can't go through that again. Last night, I let my guard down." "And?" Gorsefur prompts, looking cocky, smirking slightly. "And...I know that I like you. I might even love you." I take a deep breath. "I just don't want-" I choke on Gorsefur's tail and realize he's in front of me, brushing his tail across my mouth to keep me from talking. "Just stop there," he whispers. "Please." He knows. He knows how much it hurts to lose, to be the one left behind. And I truly don't want to leave him in the romantic sense and more than I want to leave him in the literal dying sense. Is this love? "We'd better go back," he murmurs. I nod and look around. Our clearing. This clearing. Gorsefur leads the way back to Main, the forest swallowing up the place I let myself forget about wars and monsters and enemies. We creep through the Barracks, and though most of the cats are still asleep, there's more bustle than there should be this time of day. I attribute that to the whole 'EarthClan coming to kill us' thing. We round the corner to get back to the den only to stop in our pawsteps. Oakclaw and Shadowsong are sitting outside, waiting for us, identical smirks on their faces. "Dirt," Gorsefur mutters. I stifle a purr. "So," Shadowsong stretches, eyes narrowed teasingly. "Prey running well?" "Nope," Gorsefur shakes his head. "Didn't catch a thing." "Well, I wouldn't say that." Oakclaw purrs. "We just talked!" I protest, then flatten my ears as Gorsefur wilts a little and Oakclaw and Shadowsong share a look of victory. "Of course you did," Shadowsong nods, snickering. "Seriously!" I look at Gorsefur for help. "Just because you make out all the time doesn't mean all the rest of us do." "Oh, that's just low," Oakclaw complains. "We. Just. Talked." I growl. Looking a little freaked out, Oakclaw nods swiftly which only amuses Shadowsong further. I glare at Gorsefur, then stalk into the den, wanting to wake up the recruits and Adderscar and watch them wallow in some of their own misery. The den is empty, and I stomp back outside. "Where is everyone else?" "They went to get food, but Oakclaw and I wanted to congratulate you guys on your...talking." Shadowsong's whiskers twitch. "You guys are so immature," I mutter. "It's possible for a tom and a she-cat to enjoy a relationship without...talking." I wince. Great, now they've got me doing it. Oakclaw and Shadowsong continue to try and outdo each other in innuendos while Gorsefur and I wait for the recruits to get back with food. When they do, they're laden with prey. My mouth waters and I head forward, taking a mouse from Adderscar. He mutters a thanks around the leaf bundle he has in his mouth. Thankfully, the recruits don't say anything about Gorsefur and I. Adderscar doesn't either, but I didn't expect him to. Loosing Silverflower still grates on him every day and, though I think he genuinely likes Gorsefur and I, it must be hard to see us happy when his whole life fell down around him. "What're the herbs for?" Briarclaw asks, wrinkling her nose. Adderscar glares at her, from where he's unwrapping the leaf bundle. "I dunno. When I was getting food some medicine cat ran and gave this to me, said to eat them." Three berries roll from the leaf and he mashes them on top of his squirrel. "Do you think that's wise?" Briarclaw asks snidely. "I mean, what are they for? What are they even?" If it had been anyone else, Adderscar probably would've stopped and thought about it. But it was Briarclaw, his replacement, the other brain in the group. And so, looking directly at her, he leaned down and scarfed down half of his squirrel. Briarclaw rolls her eyes and gets back to her own vole. We finish the meal and are sharing tongues outside the den when Adderscar doubles over. "You okay?" Grayleaf asks, concern lacing his words. "Totally...fine..." Adderscar says through gritted teeth, glaring at Briarclaw. "And you say I'm stupid." Oakclaw pokes him and Adderscar all but falls over. "Can someone please get me the squirrel scraps?" Grayleaf asks. Briarclaw wordlessly heads off and I feel a jolt of surprise that she would want to help Adderscar. Unless she thinks something's wrong, something more than a stomach ache. Briarclaw returns and deposits the remains at Grayleaf's paws. Carefully, he lowers his neck, finds a bit of the berry mush, and sniffs. Eyes widening, he looks back to Adderscar. "We need to get to the medicine dens, now." No one questions it. Oakclaw grabs Adderscar who weakly tries to wave him off only to start shivering uncontrollably. We trot, as fast as we can travel without causing panic or hurting Adderscar. By the time we get to the medicine dens, the ginger tom, despite Briarclaw and Grayleaf's efforts, has gone unconscious. The first medicine cat who spots us waves us into his den and sets about examining Adderscar. Grayleaf tells him what's wrong, strange and frightening names of herbs and medicine cat jargon weaving in and out of my head. "He exhibited signs of being poisoned a mere few minutes after eating and after examining the remains, I believe it's hollylock. It was a dark berry, easily crushable..." The medicine cat nods. He continues sniffing around Adderscar for a few moments, then ushers us outside. "He's fine...for now. But this is serious. You said someone gave this to him?" After a moment's pause, Grayleaf nods. "Well, whoever did it ought to be found and exiled, at the least. Hollylock is a dangerous, extremely painful poison. Did Adderscar have any enemies?" At this point, we've just started collecting names in FireClan and adding them on the list, I think. "Who doesn't?" Gorsefur evades easily. "Is there anything we can do? What's wrong with him?" The medicine cat looks apprehensive, but meows, "I've put him in a medically induced coma..." "How do you even do that?" Shadowsong asked, eying Oakclaw. "Poppy seeds. Lots." the medicine cat blinks. "Anyways, it's the only way his body can fight off the poison, but it'll only work for so long. There's an herb that should help him pull through, but with all the frost lately, it may have-" "Where are the patches?" "I'm no warrior, but I would suggest splitting into two teams." the medicine cat explains. "There are two patches, each in a different direction-" "Lucky us," Briarclaw mutters. "-and I have no idea whether one of them or both of them are dead. We usually have supplies to deal with this, but with the Gathering last night, no one's wanted to run out and grab them..." the medicine cat rolls his eyes. Gorsefur nods and for the next few minutes he and the medicine cat discuss where exactly the spots are. Gorsefur leads us away from the medicine dens. "Alright, let's have-" "If I may?" Briarclaw interrupts. Gorsefur stops, looking a little surprised, but nods. "Someone tried to poison Adderscar, and with recent...events, I think it's safe to say we know who it is." Electric blue eyes flash in my eyes and everyone tries their hardest not to look at Stormflight. "Given that information, I think it's safe to say we'll be ambushed when we arrive at the patches. But if we don't get to them, Adderscar will die." the last word trembles a little. "Another of Thundercloud's stupid games," Oakclaw growls. "So instead of dividing evenly, to give both teams the most chance to pull through, I think we should send our two best fighters," she nods at Oakclaw and Shadowsong who preen, "To one patch, and the rest of us go to the other, with the advantage of numbers." "The thing I don't get," Stormflight says, "Is, why Adderscar? I mean, I know he's our squadmate at all, but he's not really anyone's favorite cat..." My heart aches a little for the ornery tom, but there is truth in what Stormflight says. "Well," Briarclaw meows. "Last time we faced down Thundercloud, Adderscar was pretty much the one who stopped him. I think he's the only one who could hurt Thundercloud, and not just physically. Especially with what we now know about Stormflight's mom and Badgerstrike? Thundercloud would have wanted to shut him up." Everyone looks uneasy and Gorsefur steps forward. "Remember what we swore," he says. "No matter what happens to us, any of us, we kill him. This ends, now." Everyone nods and I feel a chill creep over my heart. Gorsefur and I just got back together. I don't want to lose him. Shadowsong and Oakclaw vanish into the night, without saying goodbye. Probably part of their weird cocky faith- if you don't say goodbye, you have to come back. I look back to see Gorsefur's eyes lock into mine. The sun is rising high in the sky and I don't want to die and I don't want anyone to die and my mother is screaming, screaming for me to run and- Gorsefur is in front of me now, leaning against me. "It'll be okay," he promises. And like an idiot, I believed him. Shadowsong didn't talk much. Oakclaw figured she was still mad at him for what had happened at the Gathering. She-cats... The passed the big elm clearing, which the medicine cat tom said would mean they were more than halfway to the patch. "So," Oakclaw said. Shadowsong clenched her jaw and he pressed on. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said and I just...I dunno. I know you need to be strong, and if it helps, I know you could maybe beat me up. Probably not." "It's not you, it's..." Shadowsong sighed. "I'm about to talk about feelings again. Great." "How about you tell me what you're thinking, and I'll tell you something?" Shadowsong nodded, looking a little grateful. "It's just...I can't let myself be vulnerable. I mean, you know that, but I just feel like...I don't know." She seemed uncomfortable with going on, so Oakclaw nodded. "My turn. Um...oh. Have I ever told you how much is sucked when you were gone?" Oakclaw asked. "Not nearly as often as you should." "Well it sucked. I mean...the reason I don't talk about stuff like you do is because I have no stuff. I had a really good life. And then I met you," their eyes met and he felt like something suspiciously romantic was happening. "And everything sucked?" "Well, yeah. But it was a good suck. And that sounds wrong. But, I didn't think anything could happen, because we were the best and we kicked tail and then...you got captured. And for the first time in my life, it wasn't good." They had stopped walking now, looking eye into eye. Leaning closer. Then Shadowsong's eyes widened and she looked down. Furry plants covered the ground, soft leaves tickling their fur. "We found it!" Something fell from a tree. Shadowsong felt something strike her in the back and it felt like her entire body was seizing up and slowly filling with ice. That's why you don't get distracted you moron, she chided herself. "And we found you." a familiar voice purred. They didn't even bother hiding. As soon as we pad into the clearing, a squadron of FireClan cats is sitting across the clearing from us. I doubt there are any in the trees, but I know the thought of that will stop Gorsefur from commanding us to retreat. A ginger tom steps forward and I recognize Blazefur. I don't see any other of the members of his original squad, and I remember that Blazefur was the only one who seemed to enjoy the sick games Thundercloud played. "What do you want?" Gorsefur asks, breaking the tension. "Thundercloud extends an invitation," Blazefur meows. "He's waiting." Gorsefur tips his head. "I'm assuming there's an 'and if you don't'..." "Thundercloud does have someone particularly eager to see you." Blazefur nods. Someone, I think. So not Shadowsong and Oakclaw. Unless one of them was caught, or the other died...oh, StarClan. Gorsefur pauses, then nods and pads forward. We follow and I notice the FireClan cats looking particularly at Stormflight. The dark tom ignores them, eyes slightly narrowed. Grayleaf is shaking a little and Briarclaw looks...worried. But there's something else. I don't try to figure it out, because we've entered the clearing. There's another squad there, which reaches a grand total of two. Thundercloud wants us badly. "Brookfall!" My heart stops. Literally, I'm sure. We promised, I remind myself. Any of us, if we were caught... But he wasn't in the deal. I never thought... Thundercloud lounges on his side, smirking easily. And, tail trapped between his paws, struggling to get to me, blue eyes wide, is Riverkit. When Shadowsong woke up, her head aches. She stood, legs shaking. She tipped over, falling flat on her face. I will find whoever did this and kill them, slowly. She looked around, but no one was here. Had Thundercloud taken Oakclaw? No, he would've killed me too. He hates me. She padded into the clearing, the medicine rippling under her paws. She tried not to crush anything, but she was unsteady and felt like her paws were too big and her legs were too long and what had they done to knock her out? "Over here," Shadowsong looked up, the words bouncing around her brain for a moment before they registered. She felt a little more steady on her feet forward and she padded towards the voice. She broke from the clearing and into another. Her heart sank as she took in the scene in front of her- the scene she had expected, but not a good one. Not by a long shot. Oakclaw stood between Snowflight and Lionwing. Shadowsong didn't see any other cats, and she assumed there were none. Shadowsong and Oakclaw were fantastic warriors, but the sisters were trained killers. "Seriously Oakclaw?" she managed to ask, her mouth dry. "You're becoming quite an expert at getting caught." "Ladies dig me," he retorted. "Cute," Lionwing growled. "Now would you both kindly hush so I can deliver my evil monologue?" Shadowsong shrugged and the golden she-cat padded forward. Snowflight remained by Oakclaw and Shadowsong wondered if she could convince the she-cat to let them go. She and Stormflight were a...something. "Taking us to Thundercloud?" Shadowsong asked Lionwing. "Not quite. Well, sort of. Thundercloud wants him," she jerked her head to Oakclaw. "He wanted you too, but I managed to...persuade him not to. Honestly, the only reason I'm bothering with this whole sorry routine is because I know you won't sit still long enough for me to talk to you otherwise." Though she loathed the golden she-cat, Shadowsong did have to admit she'd rather be here then with Thundercloud. So she closed her mouth and looked at Lionwing expectantly. "My mother used to be a general," Lionwing started. Shadowsong rolled her eyes and slumped a little. Why did there always have to be a long winded explanation for everything evil? "She sent us to train with Thundercloud when we were young, because he was the best. He's practically my father. You know why?" "Evil is hereditary?" "Fortunately for you, no." Lionwing smirked and Shadowsong felt ice seeping into her heart. What was this about? "Because I didn't have a father. My father, a FireClan soldier who had once been in my mother's squad, had disappeared across the WaterClan border." Oakclaw's eyes were on Shadowsong, but she was looking at her paws. She had no idea what this was- "You thought when we met during the siege, that was the first time." Lionwing gloated. No... "You see, Thundercloud thought it would be a good exercise to go find my father. And rescue him. See, that was when we first thought he still needed rescuing. We tracked him all the way to Main, only to find him on patrol with some skinny little fleabag." Shadowsong had thought they were rogues. How else could a pair of cats get so far into WaterClan territory without anyone seeing? A ginger tom and a pretty golden she-cat. Her father had taken her hunting that day and she had been so excited... "Can you imagine the shock? So Thundercloud knew we had to take matters into our own paws. He recognized us, of course. Tried to run." Lionwing grinned and Shadowsong could see that same grin, seasons ago, as her father fell, blood pouring from his throat. Blood on Lionwing's teeth as she turned to Thundercloud for praise. Not noticing as Shadowsong hid, ran. "We didn't put it together until later. He'd had a kit in WaterClan! Half FireClan, half WaterClan. Snowflight and I had a half-sister." Oakclaw was staring at her now, eyes wide as Shadowsong remembered every bad thing she'd ever done, always blaming herself. She was ruthless. She was dangerous. She was FireClan. Lionwing looked at her with amber eyes- the same shade as Shadowsong- and purred. "We have so much catching up to do." Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics